Sustainability is at the very heart of what we do here at Rothamsted Enterprises. As part of the world-renowned scientific research institute, Rothamsted Research, we are passionate about  positively impacting climate change and feeding the world’s growing population in a sustainable way. Rothamsted Restaurant, Rothamsted Conference Centre and Rothamsted Manor take a holistic approach to sustainability which can be seen in a variety of things that we do. And with all our profits going to support the incredible work of Rothamsted Research, each cup of coffee bought and meeting room hired, helps to support this cause. 

We are very proud of our sustainability credentials. Whether you’re a delegate, visitor, tenant or just catching up for a coffee, sustainability is all around you. So let’s start in our Restaurant. Our Head Chef, Jez Beasley and his team do their utmost to ensure sustainability is key. They:

• constantly review our carbon footprint and have halved the number of our suppliers with no reduction in quality, and they’re all within a 30 mile radius.
• pledge a 20% reduction in single use plastics; one of local suppliers now brings our meat deliveries in reusable plastic crates and our veg supplier uses recycled boxes which are then recycled.
• decreased meat on our menus by 25% thereby increasing vegetarian and vegan food by 25%. Our meat free options are delicious and increasingly popular, and we use wonky veg (or ungraded as it’s known). And of course, seasonality is key.
• only use Red Tractor British farmed meat and our fish is from sustainable sources: this not only maintains our farming community but keeps our seas well stocked.
• only provide drinks products which are plastic-free, such as water in cans rather than plastic bottles.
• provide straws made of sugar cane and our napkins are unbleached and recycled.
• ensure our very popular packed lunch boxes, takeaway cups and food boxes are biodegradable, compostable, recycled and recyclable.
• offer free coffee grounds to restaurant visitors in our public café to encourage and assist with composting, helping gardens to thrive. 
• reduce food waste at our events, using regular feedback on wastage, we adjust portion sizes and make sure we get that fine balance right.

As Jez Beasley says, “Education is key to sustainability – it’s not just about what we cook. It’s about educating the next generation. This is our home, let’s leave it replenished for our future generations.”

Jez and the team spend time welcoming and teaching local school children and community groups to Rothamsted, offering free cooking sessions and educational films, so they can learn about sustainability in cooking and understand what goes into their food.

He also works very closely with our tenants – our Restaurant sells RyeHarvest’s newWellBars, which are 100% free of packaging, sustainable and locally produced, and he’s worked with Entoplast who were using our kitchen food waste as part of their experiments. Jez also collaborates with the Rothamsted scientists during their work on making white bread more healthy and gets involved in their educational films.

As a Conference Centre we are aware that businesses and individuals are increasingly conscious of making their events sustainable, and as an innovation campus focused on climate change and food security, nothing is more important to us. When you hold an event with us, you can be sure we will do everything we can to reduce the impact on the environment. Here are some of the ways in which we focus on sustainability when delivering events:

• Our Sustainable Day Delegate Rate (DDR) package provides delegates with our excellent service and facilities while reducing plastic and waste. 
• For our events, we serve water in glass jugs rather than single use plastic bottles as well as providing free water machines in our restaurant. We also provide glasses or compostable cups.
• Biscuits are served without plastic wrappers and our food is served on china crockery.
• We provide our event delegates with pens and notepads made from recycled paper.
• Our hybrid events and video conferencing technology can help minimise unnecessary travel by delegates. 
• We can offer virtual event planning and showrounds, rather than visiting in person.
• We have charging points for electric vehicles in our carpark.  
• Many of our buildings are fitted with a smart heating / cooling system.
• We encourage guests to arrive on foot or by public transport.
• We support the 20% less plastic movement, in line with the Meeting Industry Association‘s pledge.
• Our campus is home to the world’s oldest agricultural research institute, who focus on scientific research to tackle food security, climate change and feeding the world sustainably from less land.
• Some of our buildings are accredited as BREEAM ‘Excellent’. BREEAM inspires developers to improve, innovate and make effective use of resources. The focus on sustainable value and efficiency makes BREEAM certified developments generate sustainable environments that enhance the wellbeing of the people who live and work in them. Only the top 10% of UK new non-domestic buildings have achieved an ’Excellent” rating.

And we won’t stop here. We are also considering a ‘Waste to Energy system’ which uses our food waste to make compost and the gas in turn creates energy. In the future we hope to have a wormery and a communal garden, for foraging, and to encourage local schools to get involved with planting, growing and cooking their own fresh food.

In addition to our approach to sustainability, we support a wide range of tenant businesses on our campus, working across a range of innovations to improve climate change and food security. Sustainability was central to the recent refurbishment of The Russell Building project and is reflected right through to the furnishings. Timber-based products supplied by JPA Workspaces are from sustainable sources, recyclable at end of life, and accompanied by lengthy warranties. JPA’s furniture installation was zero waste and carbon neutral, contributing to Hertfordshire’s drive for sustainable growth.

We are extremely passionate about sustainability at Rothamsted Enterprises and will always continue to strive to improve what we can do to make a difference to our planet.